AN OLD STORY CORRECTED.

Evening Star, Issue 22954, 11 May 1938, Page 6

AN OLD STORY CORRECTED.

TO THE EDITOR. . ,V Sir, —I have no desire to dispute thd dates mentioned by Mr A. H. Reed* but if his dates are right, then my informants were wrong on three occasions. The first to .inform 'me thati John Newton wrote the hymn ‘ Howl Sweet - the Name of Jesue Sounds t while actually sitting on the hatches :b| the slaver Jesus on the west coast oi, Africa was a school teacher in Glasgow, about 44 years ago. The second sion was a minister in a series of addresses on famous, hymns in Victoria United Free Church in Glasgow about 85 years ago. The third occasion was reading the statement .in the ‘ Labptnj Monthly ’ about three or four years! ago in the Dunedin Public. Library, and I have heard a minister, in DtinJ edin quote the fact within the last twq years. However, this aside, let mq quote another example of later date. 1825. When Sir J. Bowring wrote that hymn, ‘ In the Cross of Christ I Glory,? he was in the opium traffic in China, I write this in no cavilling spirit. | can admire the Christian true to principle, Catholic or Protestant, but hav® nothing but the uttermost contempt fos. the professing Christian who cannot and _ will not _ take his boasted Christ tianity into his everyday life. I think it was the Hon. Adam Hamilton whd said you don’t expect to take the Sermon on the Mount into a Finance BilL Well, I do; and if it has to be left out of anything at all, then why talk of itS /In plain words,- let me ask those professing Christians who are shocked thai' Mr Cox should mention Christ feeding the .5,000 what did they say or do wheq Mr Allen and Conservative member* voted'against the subsidy to the unemployed? I know what Mr Cox and Labour did- I got £2 16s instead 37s 6d. No Christian of any decent man would ask five people to exist oni 17s 6da week after paying rent unless they were prepared to do with the same amount themselves. I had the privilege of addressing the Council of Christiani Congregations, which I did with all tha conviction at my command, showing that the unemployed dole left, only two options—starvation or eviction, tha latter of which I suffered. My words fell on deaf ears. I came away to make my _ report., In fancy I was accom. panied by the ‘‘Stranger qf Galilee.” I could think of Him saying; “What did you expect? Inasmuch as they did it not unto you they did it not unto Me.” The parable or the rich man and Lazarus came to my mind. The ricß man gave sympathy; he allowed Lazarus the crumbs, yet he went to hell. From that day the divinity of Christ had no appeal to me, but His humanity I admire—the “ action ” of the Map “ Who. went -about doing good,” just as Mr Cox and our Labour members did. To professing Christian Conservatives I quote Christ when He said) “ Well said the prophet , Esaias, this people draweth near to me with thoil month and honoureth we with thein lips, but their hearts are far from me.” —I am, etc., May 9. C. S. MacArthub.